"He stood at the edge of a cliff,
With hands pocketed and legs all stiff,
Wondering what would happen if he takes a leap,
To a world beyond the darkness of this cliff."
I.
Death…
For the second time, I am sure that death has taken me. I am certain because right now, I am conscious yet I am surrounded by nothing but a blank space. I'd try to sleep but I can't and, no matter how hard I try to wake up, this is the only thing I see.
"This is reality now." I told myself. However, all hope isn't lost.
With this void is a remote which lets me replay things I did in the past. Whenever I click the top button, a screen would show up in front of me. With folders and files of the events in my life. Though the folder names are annoying.
"Job Hunting Season 1" Featuring all jobs I didn't get as soon as I finished college.
"The Dumping Festival" Featuring the moments when I got dumped or rejected by a girl.
"Summers Beating my Wood" I don't want to explain this folder.
"Job Hunting Season 2"
Although the folder names are lousy, all events inside are accurate. As if my life has been steadily recorded by an HD video camera. In fact, the recordings gave me the clear picture of what happened during the time of my death.
Back at the audition, a giant hole was created through my chest. Apparently, Ares summoned a gust of wind which pierced right through me. That also explains why I was sent flying. But strangely, even though the hole is quite big, I couldn't feel anything. Well, people do say that the stronger the pain, the more numbing it is at the start. The hole caused me to have a difficulty in breathing. It also hindered my speech altogether.
My first death isn't so different. I was found in the streets with my mouth foaming. Soon enough the crime division of the cops came. My remains were quickly examined upon arrival at the hospital. All those who got involved in the case wondered how most of my organs melted.
No culprit could be found but that wasn't a problem. They viewed my records, my life and all. Seeing as how I am still unemployed at the age of 30, they quickly dismissed that I committed suicide. Nothing more than the pointless taking of one's own life. They did it because, they didn't want to bother with the work involved in solving the crime. After all, nobody came to request an investigation of my death.
Tears started to well up in my eyes and I didn't stop them. I let them run down my face. I've held back these tears all my life because society has judged a man who cries to be weak. But I'm dead now. I'm alone. There's no point in holding back this pent-up pain anymore.
Like all mortal men, death has finally consumed me.
II.
For days I did nothing but re-examine the whole course of my life. I'm sure this isn't heaven because all I can see through the screen are my failures and disappointments.
All the things my lovers said behind my back.
What my parents thought of me.
How my circle of friends pitied me.
Tears started forming again, but a voice made me wipe them away.
"Okayyy~ that's enough lamenting mister." A finger snap closed the screen in front of me entirely. Lights opened out of nowhere and, in front of me is a familiar person. Someone I met backstage before dying. I know who she is already. She is a goddess and this is probably her domain. If she can still make a dead man her Entertainer then that gives me a clear idea who she might be.
"Hades." I said as I stared her in her eyes, confident with my own words.
"Ewww. Grooooosss." She said, as if she wanted to puke the name altogether.
"You are Hades righ-" a cold embrace suddenly wrapped itself around me. Hades disappeared from my field of vision and got me in this strange hold.
"Don't you ever call me that again okay?" She whispered in my ear.
I nodded in agreement. Blushing a little as her body came too close for comfort. That's one reason, why I nodded. The second is that she may just as well kill me if I piss her off. That would make me the only person in history to die three times. That's a world record!
"See mom and dad, I did something great." I said to myself in a sarcastic manner.
"Where am I?" I quickly changed the conversation.
"Hmmm?" She said as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly we are on top of a dry hill, with winged creatures flying above us. The whole place is a bloody red, with a swamp of black tar beneath us.
"You were in Limbo my dear sir. The first layer of Hades, my domain." She said as she stood in front of me.
"This place right here, is another layer altogether." Heidi continued.
"But I don't want to talk about this boring place. Let's go back to the audition yeah?" With that, Heidi snapped her fingers transporting us back to my room. The screen played once again, but this time it showed all the contestants who were able to pass.
There were various things that the gods found amusing. However, it was very seldom for them to all like a single contestant at the same time. Even the woman who sang only got a handful of gods to actually acknowledge her.
"Ahem." Heidi wore a corporate attire, tying her hair into a bun and wearing thick-round eyeglasses. At this point nothing surprises me anymore.
"The audition finished days ago. Most of the original batch got killed so a new pile was transported again." I raised my hand to speak.
"Hoho! Yes mister, anything you want to add?"
"Wouldn't that cause a major problem in the world? I mean, it's not like all of us are good for nothing humans. You also abducted celebrities and politicians." She looked me as if she pitied my level of intelligence.
"So what?"
"Huh?"
"So what if a few politicians and celebrities disappear? Are they really that important?" I couldn't answer her question.
"Mortals are bound by the shackles of death. All of you are flickering candles waiting to burn out. A lot of you forget that. It gives me headaches you know? People who view themselves as figures needed by the world, and idiots who accept this as common knowledge."
"One? Two? Three? The numbers don't matter! Death will always come." She looked at me as she paused.
"Would the world crumble without a few thousands?" She left that as a question and I answered.
"No." Heidi smiled, as if acknowledging my response.
"Good, now let me continue my presentation."
Various names were given to me and also the skills they displayed. Some amused the gods of wisdom with their ingenuity and broad understanding of the world. Some with their talent in singing like Olivia, which I learned to be the name of the woman whom I heard singing.
Playing instruments, art, dancing, oration, comedy, there were a lot of talents showcased. Yet strangely, there were some who were picked even before they did anything. Guess I'd also be counted to that group since Heidi chose me while I lay dying.
Wait.
Why did she choose me?
"Heidi-sama" I raised my hand again and she immediately allowed me to speak.
"Why did you choose me?"
"Hmmm~ Very straightforward, now aren't we?" She said, smiling with her usual playfulness.
"I'm sure that you have the ability to see someone's potential right?"
"What makes you say that mister?"
"Well, before Olivia sang, you came backstage just to get a closer peek."
"What if I only did that on a whim?"
"No you didn't." With my answer, Heidi smiled even more.
"Becaaauuuse?"
"Huh?" I swear, she sounds like an innocent child sometimes.
"What made you say that it wasn't on a whim?"
"Your eyes. They shone when you mentioned her."
"Kyaaaa~" She suddenly pounced on me and rubbed her cheeks against mine.
"I knew I made the right call to take you as my entertainer."
"That doesn't answer my question Heidi-sama." I said as she energetically continued rubbing her cheeks.
"Okay. Listen now Jean(John)." That took me by surprise. Nobody ever pronounced my name right on the first try. Heidi-sama sat on the floor right in front of me. "I chose you because you have a pure soul."
…
…
…
"WHAT?!?!"
III.
"Pffft! I knew I'd get that reaction. Hahaha." Heidi-sama began rolling on the ground as she bellowed in laughter. Man, I sure hope hell is okay with this woman as its queen.
"It's true though haha. You have a pure and gentle soul haha." She really explained in between laughter. Man, does she even want me to take her seriously? Right as I thought of this, she stopped laughing and looked me straight in the eyes.
"What I saw in you, and what I saw in that girl were the same. I cannot see talent Jean. I can see souls. Who you are deep down, and who you were during your past lives. That is what I can see." This time she smiled at me. I was taken aback by how beautiful she is at the moment so I blushed just a little.
I'm sure she noticed, but she paid it no mind.
"From the very start, I was dead set on choosing you. Seeing you punch Ares was a great bonus to my choice haha." She laughed a little longer and then continued.
"Anyway. Enough chit chat okay? We're already behind by a month?"
"Behind? On what?"
"SHHHHHHHH!" She mouthed, pouting at my question. I didn't say anything more and let her continue.
Turns out, that event on stage was nothing more than a way for the gods to choose their own Entertainers. The real challenge begins when we get deployed to another world to entertain the people there. But there is a small problem: the people of that world have difficulty getting entertained. The reasons for which are a mystery to us entertainers. The gods/goddesses cannot disclose this information and wants us to improvise our own strategies based on the difficulties presented.
Heidi-sama then said that we will be given status windows and inventories just like in rpg games. Entertainers level up by amusing or pleasing people. The more people an entertainer pleases, the higher his/her level gets. This gives out bonus status points which are used to increase an entertainer's efficiency in various areas.
We are given a month's worth of effort to entertain the masses. The entertainer can choose to stay at a town, or jump to another in order to increase fame. Rankings can be seen through the same status window. Those ranked as part of the bottom 10 will be removed from the game. In short, if you fail, you die.
Also, the god/goddess who chose us will grant us a blessing based on the scope of their powers. This is referred to as branding. It is similar to how Ares wanted to burn a flame sigil above Olivia-san's chest.
"So what blessing do you want from me my dear entertainer?" Heidi-sama paused from explaining to give me a choice on this.
It's a hard decision to make. The blessing would also serve as a tool to boost my survivability in the game. I also have to take into account the different gods and goddesses and the blessings they could bestow. However, I am already dead set on what I want and I do not have the liberty to take my time in choosing.
"Necromancy."
"Ohhhhhh~" She said in an amused tone. Okay then, close your eyes.
I did as I was told and awaited the ritual to be done with. Heidi-sama caressed my body and placed her hand inside my shirt. She circled her hands around my chest and slowly made her way down my abdomen.
"huah" I let out a soft moan as she continued touching me in various places.
"Oh dear, are you being aroused right now?"
"n-no" was my defiant response.
"Fuuun~" Heidi-sama continued and stripped me of my shirt. I wanted her to continue even further. I'm a bit ashamed of this fact but hey, it isn't every day that you can get laid with the goddess of the underworld.
Unfortunately, she stopped teasing me at that point. I felt her mouth touching the left side of my neck and her teeth slowly sinking into my skin.
"Ahhh." It was supposed to hurt so bad but for some reason, the pain felt good. Guess that kinky stuff she did was also to prepare for this moment. I felt blood pouring out and then everything stopped.
"Good boy." Heidi licked my ear as she whispered these words to me.
"You can open your eyes now."
As soon as my vision got back, I saw myself. As in, there was a mirror in front of me. Probably for me to see the mark. I looked at my neck and found no bite marks. No wounds. Just the sigil of the underworld, violet flames that burns a crow.
"Nice isn't it?" Heidi-sama said as the mirror disappeared and she appeared in its place. I blushed again and looked away, ashamed of how I thought earlier.
"Hehe." Heidi-sama laughed teasingly.
"Okay then, I hate to be the one to break our precious date but time is ticking my dear Entertainer." She snapped her finger and a hole appeared in front of me.
"Jump through that and you'd get to your first destination. The initial area is chosen at random so there's nothing we could do about that."
I was about to jump but then I realized something disturbing. So I spoke one last time before leaving.
"Heidi-sama."
"Hmmm?"
"You are the god of the underworld. So why did you choose a "pure soul" like mine?"
"That's simple." She smiled again. She then snapped her finger, putting the hole directly beneath me. As I fell, I heard her speak in a tone fitting the queen of the underworld.
"Pure souls sink deepest into depravity."